My Geek Baby

Welcome to My Geek Baby

From crib to computer, kids are fascinating learning machines. My Geek Baby is dedicated to parents with smart kids everywhere who are interested in learning more about how kids learn, reading about what open source experts are teaching their kids and even submitting related articles or personal tales of parenting.

Our community offers you:

* A centralized news source about the latest in educational activities for kids and parents
* Interactive forums where you can give us you two cents
* Invitations for article submissions about adventures in parenting
* Geek-related apparel, educational toys and gifts for you and your kids

Think outside the womb with My Geek Baby.

As a parent you’re well into the summer-long, entertainment-challenged break from school but that doesn’t mean your kids have to spend all day using text-messaging short-hand to discuss the latest Harry Potter ending, when they could be learning programming languages, does it?

Like many programming parents, for whom BASIC camp doesn’t exist, as referenced in Salon’s Why Johnny Can’t Code, many are taking matters into their own hands.

Yakov Fain is one such parent who wrote, Java Programming for Kids, Parents and Grandparents, and he talks about it in this article Teaching Kids Programming: Even Younger Kids Can Learn Java

Sites dedicated to a similar venture include Squeakland and Star Logo and Gamemaker

So tell us about your own experience with teaching your kids code…

We all know that boys go standing up and girls sit down to go, but after seeing this new Peter Potty training urinal for boys, I wonder: when do boys learn to stand up? Go into any store where you can purchase potty training toilets and devices and they’re all designed for sitting. Some potties for boys have a backboard not unlike a basketball hoop might have to catch the “out of bounds” spray but the whole potty training of boys really seems confusing. I have a baby on the way, and in a few weeks will find out if I may someday need to know all there is to potty training a boy, but for now, it is a mystery, as is this new “training urinal.” It’s at the right height, as opposed to a too-tall toilet, and it flushes, mimicking the real thing you’d find in a public restroom, so it seems like just the thing to help your toddler, “Be a Little Stand Up Guy” as the slogan encourages.

I ask veteran parents: is this the first you have seen of such a thing? Is this the emperors new “potty” or is this a brilliant device that will help boys learn to go independently, and learn quicker than older methods? And, does it come complete with urinal cakes (yes, I know that much) as a toy kitchen would come with a cook top and spatula? Now before all the gender-police come out of the woodwork to criticize my comparison, this isn’t to suggest that only girls use the kitchen and boys can use the Peter, but I challenge any girl to try to stand up and see how successful they are.

Recently, I was in my car on the way to work, parked at at red light, digging through my purse for a lip gloss. I picked up my head to see if the light turned green and notice that the guy in the car next to me in STARING ME DOWN. For a second I feel flattered that he’s checking me out and I smile but when he drives off I notice his “Baby on Board” sign in his window. Gross, Rookie Dad! Keep your eyes to yourself.

What does this have to do with childhood learning and/or MyGeekBaby? Not much. It’s a funny anecdote to balance out the serious topics we’ll tackle on this site. But it does beg the question that is related to childhood learning, “Who taught this man, as a boy, how to communicate with girls and women?” And, almost more importantly, why does he have a 1980’s car decoration that people, both with and without children, have come to loathe? What this sign is really saying to other drivers is: My cargo is much more precious than your cargo, so drive safe, OK!?” It’s insulting and, well, pointless. Frankly I think it may causes drivers to act more erratically on the road just to annoy these “Baby on Board” people.

A two-year-old girl with an IQ of 152 was invited to become the youngest member of Mensa, according to British Daily Mail article . Georgia’s mother said that her daughter mastered crawling at five months and was walking by nine months. She is able to count to 10, is learning French, and by 18 months was already able to engage in a conversation. She can also draw a near-perfect circle and understands the concept of a circle, her parents say, but is unaware of her special gifts.

So, what do you make of this small wonder?

When I was getting my body “baby ready” I cleaned up my diet, exercised more and started on a regimen of prenatal vitamins that I bought from the grocery store, with plenty of folic acid and other essential vitamins and nutrients that would support a healthy pregnancy. Upon confirming my pregnancy in early May, my OB/GYN prescribed new vitamins. These super-powered pills came with an extra supplement - Omega-3. This fatty acid, alpha-linolenic acid is found in fish and some nuts and oils. Because I’m avoiding most fish (especially those with high mercury content) and also avoiding the nuts that my husband is allergic to, the extra boost of Omega-3 is the brain food for me and baby with the added bonus of possibly staving off mild depression while improving my cardiovascular system. There are mixed results regarding the benefits of using Omega-3 as a supplement for what ails you. But this new supplement being included in prenatal care was news to me and I wonder, if fish is brain food, is this is an additional brain-builder for baby too?

More information is available from the Mayo Clinic.

How about you? What have readers done to improve their diets while growing babies? Let us know.